South Africa’s WTC Final Hopes Dim as Lungi Ngidi Ruled Out of Home Tests with Injury
South Africa's Lungi Ngidi celebrates taking the wicket of England's Joe Root during day three of the first LV= Insurance Test match at Lord's, London. Picture date: Friday August 19, 2022. Photo by Adam Davy/PA Wire/BackpagePix
South Africa’s pursuit of a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final hit a stumbling block on Thursday as pacer Lungi Ngidi was ruled out of their upcoming four-Test home series due to a groin injury. According to a team release, Ngidi is expected to make a return to the field by January, missing both the Sri Lanka series, which begins at Kingsmead on November 24, and the series against Pakistan, starting December 26 at Centurion. A sweep in these matches is crucial for South Africa to secure a place in the WTC final at Lord’s next June.
Ngidi’s absence is a considerable setback, particularly given his home-ground dominance. While his away record shows modest success with 16 wickets at an average of 37.37 from 10 Tests, Ngidi has been a formidable force in South Africa, capturing 39 wickets at an impressive 17.30 in nine home matches.
South Africa’s pace resources are already stretched, as Nandre Burger is also out due to a lumbar injury. To offset these losses, Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee have returned from recent conditioning breaks to join the T20I series against India, while Lutho Sipamla made his first international appearance in nearly three years in the third T20I at Centurion on Wednesday. Kagiso Rabada, the team’s premier fast bowler, has been rested for the ongoing T20Is.
In addition to Ngidi’s absence, South Africa faces another potential setback with Temba Bavuma. The South African skipper, who missed the Test series in Bangladesh last month with an elbow injury, is set to undergo a fitness test on Monday to determine his availability for the first Test against Sri Lanka.
